19 The Queen of the Hearth Part 19

After talking with Maa all night, Jassi hardly had any time to shut her eyes when her morning alarm rang. Her body was exhausted but she knew she had to get up for work.

She got up and started doing her chores. Soon, Sukkhi Aunty will leave for her morning walk and her uncle would like to know her side of the story. Perhaps, he could add more information to the events in her life.

Jassi loved angel and demon stories. She loved paranormal but what Maa told her seemed like a fantasy to her. But the lady seemed sane. To fantasize about such things and to carry these fantasies to your grave and beyond it, you have to be crazy and mad. Maa didn't seem too creative either. She had only seen Maa reading religious scriptures during her time with her. She hardly had any fiction lying around in her room.

When she was listening to Maa telling her story, it seemed believable – as it was Maa telling the story but now, it did not seem possible. Angels & Demons! She had read the book as well as the 2009 movie made on it. A soft smile spread on her face. She shrugged her head to clear it. A she-angel corrupted by a demon and roaming on Earth! She was surely dreaming.

Sukkhi Aunty was fresh and ready for her morning walk. Her baby pink tracksuit and white and pink sports shoes looked good on her and made her cheeks look rosy. She took the lemon water Jassi offered to her but she said nothing.

Ever since she had heard Rani/Jassi humming an English song on the previous day, she was uneasy. Though Kamal had said that he will get the girl verified, he did nothing yesterday. Everywhere she went, she could see Delhi Police's posters that it was compulsory now to get your maids, servants and tenants verified. Moreover, the citizens have to be vigilant. So many terrorists manage to hide in Indian homes because people are so slack. How could a village girl hum an English tune so perfectly? She even had the accent right.

Sukkhi could speak, understand, read and write English but still, her accent was clearly Indian. This girl, on the other hand sang, like the well-educated Delhi girls that lived in her neighbourhood. Yet, this girl's cooking did have the taste of a village hearth. If this girl was born and brought up in a city, there was no way she could acquire it in a week or two.

Sukkhi decided to take the matters into her own hands. A plan was hatching in her mind as she walked out of the door for her morning walk.

Jassi took a sigh of relief as her prying eyes turned the other way. She waited until she was well out of the door before locking it. She had already kept the tea to boil and as she brought the teacup to the dining table, her uncle was already there – looking at her questioningly.

"Can I hear your side of the story now?"

"I'll start from the day I was kidnapped."

"Kidnapped? You did not run away with your boyfriend?"

"No."

"OK! Sit down first. When Sukkhi is not there, you can act like Jassi. Now, begin."

Jassi started with the first thing that came to her mind. "Uncle, in the first year of college, I was selected as a candidate to participate in the inter-collegiate debate competition. There, I met Renny. He was not the best debater but he was certainly the most handsome one with the mannerisms of the gentleman that are rarely seen these days. He stepped out of the car to open the door for the lady, pulled out the chairs for me, and took care of every single thing about me.

He was a living example of a Victorian-era knight and I didn't know that he was part of a human trafficking racket. I can't share many details in the few minutes we have but in short, I fell for him. He sold me to a middle-aged man called Rajeshwar who tortured me every day. I was sold for 12 lakh rupees. I had no means to contact you. I just hoped that you would come to rescue me.

One day, Renny came to Rajeshwar with a new offer of a girl for his younger brother. He also said that you got me kidnapped and sold because you couldn't afford to spend more money on me. This broke me. I threw hot oil on Renny and Rajeshwar and ran away. I don't think that the oil would kill any of them but I did not stop to find out. Their dog Shera accompanied me out of his loyalty for me.

I ran all the way to a Gurudwara in Agra where I stayed for about 10 months. It took me that long to heal and come out of trauma. Shera is still there. A kindly matron took me in. With time, we bonded together like mother and daughter. She was the old woman who came to you on the pretext of sharing that she saw me running with a dog. The day she left your home, she called me to say that she thought you were not involved in my kidnapping. She said that she would return in a few hours but she did not come back since then. I came here to look for her."

Jassi did not share about Maa's death and what her ghost had told her. She also made running all the way to Agra sound like a small thing. She skipped that she ran that distance in just about 24 hours.

Her uncle kept staring at her with blank eyes. He was clearly shocked.

"My dear! I could never do that to you. I spent much more on your education and well-being."

"I understand, uncle. I calculated it later. But I was so broken then, and Renny said that with so much conviction that I was afraid to contact you directly."

"Where did you meet Balvinder?"

"At Majnu ka Tila. I was not sure why Maa never came back. I wanted to be sure that Renny or Rajeshwar would not spot me here. Balvinder uncle offered me help and I told him a very tiny part of my story to make him help me. He also tried to convince me that you could never do such a thing. I am so sorry, uncle, for doubting you. I should have come to you earlier."

"Yes. You should have come to me earlier. That could have saved you and me a lot of anxiety and trouble." Kamal almost cried but controlling himself, he continued, "Sukkhi will be back soon. I think it's time to tell her your real identity."

"What about Maa, uncle?"

"Yes. We will definitely try to trace her. I want to thank her personally for taking good care of you." He got emotional and held Jassi's hands to offer her his unconditional support.

Jassi did not know how to tell him that Maa was dead and that she knew that because Maa's ghost had told her that. Maa was buried in uncle's home and her uncle did not know anything about it. She did not have the heart to tell her uncle that now; she only wanted to know how Maa was murdered.